Thailand’s next PM Anutin reaffirms promise to hold fresh polls
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Thailand’s new Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says, under his reign, “there will be no favouritism”.
PHOTO: EPA
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BANGKOK – Thailand’s next prime minister pledged to make good on his promise to lead the fractured interim government to new polls.
Conservative tycoon Anutin Charnvirakul was confirmed by Parliament
The construction magnate cobbled together a coalition of opposition blocs to shut out Pheu Thai, the electoral vehicle of the once-dominant Shinawatra dynasty’s patriarch, Thaksin.
Mr Anutin received the backing of the People’s Party, which holds a plurality of seats, on conditions that he recommitted to on Sept 6.
“I think we are clear in terms of politics that we are going to dissolve the Parliament in four months,” he said during a meeting at his party headquarters broadcast by the Thai media. “I will try to form my Cabinet as soon as possible.”
Mr Anutin named a veteran diplomat, the former head of the Revenue Department, and a senior oil and gas executive, to run the country’s foreign, finance and energy ministries.
He said diplomat Sihasak Phuangketkeow, economist Ekniti Nitithanprapas and PTT executive Auttapol Rerkpiboon would be “top executives in the organisations they will be responsible for”, and would “bring confidence”.
The appointments, which become official after receiving royal approval, come at a crucial time for South-east Asia’s second-largest economy, where growth has been lagging behind that of its regional peers amid months of political instability.
Thaksin unexpectedly left the kingdom before the parliamentary vote, bound for Dubai where he said he would visit friends and seek medical treatment.
The Supreme Court is due to rule on Sept 9 in a case over Thaksin’s hospital stay following his return from exile in August 2023, a verdict some analysts say could see him jailed.
“There will be no favouritism, no persecution, and no revenge,” Mr Anutin told journalists on Sept 5.
Mr Anutin’s right-wing Bhumjaithai Party went into coalition with Pheu Thai in 2023, but pulled out in June over Ms Paetongtarn’s alleged misconduct in a leaked phone call with former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen.
The Shinawatras have been a mainstay of Thai politics for the past two decades, sparring with the pro-monarchy, pro-military establishment that views them as a threat to Thailand’s traditional social order.
But they have faced a series of setbacks, including Ms Paetongtarn’s removal last week.
Mr Anutin previously served as deputy prime minister, interior minister and health minister, but is perhaps most famous for delivering on a promise to legalise cannabis
His elevation to premiership still needs to be endorsed by Thailand’s King to become official. AFP, REUTERS
